Songwriters Hall of Fame

At the zenith of his musical career in the 30s and 40s, Eddie DeLange was known for his dual success, both as lyric writer and as bandleader. In the opening years of the 30s, he became well known as the front man for one of the earliest bands associates with…

One of Broadway’s greatest leading men, Anthony Newley, was born in born George Anthony Newley in Hackney, London on September 24, 1931. His personal hit parade includes numerous film and stage musicals, highlighted by Stop the World, I Want to Get Off and The Roar of the Greasepaint (The Smell of the Crowd).

Newley's beginnings in the entertainment industry go back to his departure from regular school at the age of 14. Soon after he was accepted as a student at the Italia Conti stage school and a few weeks later won the title role in the film The Adventures of Dusty Bates. The following year (1948), he starred in Peter Ustinov’s film Vice Versa and then as the Artful Dodger in David Lean’s classic production of Oliver Twist.

By the mid-1950’s, Newley was well-known throughout the world as an actor and in 1957 he starred in 6 major films. His singing career began with a 1959 film Idle on Parade, in which he performed four of his own songs that would later become Billboard hits. He also appeared in the ongoing television series, Saturday Spectaculars, and he won additional plaudits for his revue, Cranks. As an actor, he also enjoyed important successes in such films as Dr. Doolittle and Sweet November.

In 1961, songwriter Leslie Bricusse suggested to Newley that they write a show together. The product was the successful Stop the World - I Want to Get Off, which starred and was directed by Newley. The show ran on Broadway for 556 performances and several of its songs (“What Kind of Fool Am I?”, “Once In a Lifetime” and “Gonna Build a Mountain”) became hit singles.

Soon after the success of Stop the World, Bricusse and Newley wrote the score to the James Bond film Goldfinger. Then in 1965’s, the team produced The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd, again starring Newley. The Bricusse-Newley show produced several hit songs including “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)?”, “A Wonderful Day Like Today”, “The Joker”, “This Dream” and the Nina Simone hit “Feeling Good.”

In 1971, the pair wrote the score for the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which included the top ten hit song recorded by Sammy Davis, Jr., “The Candy Man” and was one of the top five grossing films of that year. In the mid-1970’s the team also collaborated on the television version of Peter Pan, which starred Danny Kaye and Mia Farrow, and the London stage success The Good Old Bad Old Days.

Newley was worked individually as director, actor or producer in a multitude of acclaimed motion pictures, including Summertree, It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, Mr. Quilp, (for which he also wrote words and music), and Can Heironymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humpe and Find True Happiness?. In 1977, Newley was further acknowledged for his successes when he was named the “Male Star of the Year” at the sixth annual Las Vegas Awards Ceremony.

Anthony Newley, the father of four children, Sacha, Tara, Christopher and Shelby, passed away in Jensen Beach, Florida on April 14, 1999.

Leslie Bricusse, an Englishman with an enormous talent for songwriting, has written more than 30 musical shows and films. He has received two Oscars (eight nominations), a Grammy (six nominations), and eight Novello Awards, including the 1989 Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989.

In his early career, Bricusse enjoyed substantial…

Roy Orbison ranks as one of the most popular and well-respected hitmakers of the rock and roll era. His three-octave voice put him in a class by himself and his heartfelt, sometimes emotional songs, made him a master of his craft. His musical influence began early in his life while growing up in the small Texas town of Wink. He learned to play the guitar when he was a child and was singing country songs on the radio at age eight. As a teen, he began touring the dance halls of West Texas.

In his early twenties, Orbison heeded the advice of a friend, Johnny Cash, and visited Memphis to meet Sam Phillips, the proprietor of a hot independent recording firm, Sun Records, who had already produced hits for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. Orbison recorded a number of single releases for Sun, including his first significant hit in 1959, "Ooby Dooby."

Orbison then moved to Nashville and signed with Monument Records. Over the next six years he would write a string of renowned hits beginning with the classic, "Only The Lonely" in 1960. Others included "Blue Angel "Candy Man "Running Scared" "Crying," “Mean Woman Blues,” "Dream Baby," "Blue Bayou," "It's Over" and "Oh Pretty Woman."

During this period, Orbison enjoyed incredible success both in the U.S. and in Britain, where he toured with the Beatles as his opening in 1963. His adulation abroad remained constant throughout the 60s. In fact, during the earlier phases of the "British Invasion" of American pop, Orbison maintained his popularity on both sides of the Atlantic and for a period of 68 weeks, commencing in August of 1963, he was the only American performer to enjoy #1 singles on the British charts: "It's Over" and "Oh Pretty Woman" in 1964.

A major career resurgence began for Orbison in the 80s: He toured with the Eagles on their "Hotel California" tour; Linda Ronstadt had her only gold-selling single with her version of "Blue Bayou." A duet with Emmylou Harris, "That Loving You Feeling Again, won the pair a Grammy. Don McLean re-recorded "Crying"; Van Halen had a hit with "Oh Pretty Woman;" "In Dreams" was featured in David Lynch's 1986 underground classic film, "Blue Velvet."

From this point, Orbison enjoyed almost three years of precedented recognition. He signed his first recording contract in ten years with Virgin Records. In 1987 he was inducted into the Rock and Rol I Hal I of Fame. Later that same year, he and singer k.d. lang recorded a duet version of "Crying" for the soundtrack to the film "Hiding Out" and their recording went on to win the pair a Grammy in 1988. In January of 1988, Orbison starred in the HBO/Cinemax cable TV special, Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night, in which his backing band included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, and T-Bone Burnette.

Early in 1988, Orbison began recording sessions for his first album of all-new material in ten years. The album, titled Mystery Girl featured a host of noteworthy collaborators including T-Bone Burnette, Bono and The Edge, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Will Jennings, and others. It was while Orbison was working on Mystery Girl that Petty, Lynne, Orbison, George Harrison and Bob Dylan turned a single song collaboration, "Handle With Care," into the much-heralded band and album called The Traveling Wilburys.

Virgin's Mystery Girl has sold over three million copies worldwide and has reached #1 in seven countries, marking Orbison's highest-charting album ever. The Traveling Wilburys’ self-titled debut album has also sold more than two million copies.

On December 6, 1988, Roy Orbison died at the age of 52 and the world lost one of its finest musical talents. Orbison's voice and incomparable songwriting were pivotal, as well as unmatched, in the development of rock and roll. He touched the hearts of millions of fans around the world, and his songs brought new sensitivity and depth to contemporary music.

Tony Award-winning Lee Adams actually began his professional career as a working journalist, having first gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Ohio State University, and later, a Master's clegreefrom the renowned Columbia School of journalism in New York.

For 10 years following his Master's degree…